As Addiction Soars, So Does The Need For Effective OxyContin Detox

February 09, 2009
By
Novus Medical Detox Center

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Addiction to the prescription narcotic painkiller OxyContin continues to plague Americans of all ages and all walks of life. And as the problem grows, so does the need for a safe and effective OxyContin detox protocol that really works.

Some researchers think that all addictive substances target the same 'reward pathway' of our brain, flipping on the same switches that drive basic instincts like eating and sex, by connecting such activities with pleasure. They suggest that substances like alcohol, nicotine, cocaine, methamphetamine and narcotics all create the same effect.

In fact, this idea that all addictive substances activate the same reward system in the brain has not been scientifically proven. Any changes that occur in the brain are far from understood, and cannot be accurately described by anyone. More importantly, addictive substances create quite different effects on different people, because of their unique DNA and metabolism.

No one - not the drug companies, not research scientists studying rats, and especially not psychiatrists - have any idea how a "normal" brain functions or exactly how psychoactive drugs work. One person's euphoric high is another person's trip to hell, or a hospital emergency ward, or a self-inflicted bullet in the brain, and no science can predict or explain any of these consequences.

However, it is true that when many drugs, such as the narcotic painkiller OxyContin, are used for extended periods of time - different periods of time for different people - receptors in the brain respond to the repeated assaults of the drug by creating what's called physical dependence. This is identified by uncomfortable symptoms occurring when you stop taking the drug. The brain has become accustomed to the narcotic, and reacts - sometimes violently and dangerously - when its supply is turned off.

Dependence is the physical component of addiction. But in addiction, the brain's need for the narcotic has found an ally - the person himself - who's unique psychological needs and problems have become part of the compulsion to abuse the drug.

Thousands of people addicted to OxyContin, hundreds of whom became dependent and addicted while taking legitimate prescriptions for real pain and injury, routinely find themselves in tragic circumstances - their careers evaporated, abandoned by families and friends, often jailed for drug-related crimes. For them, only a workable OxyContin detox program followed by a drug rehab program can help them begin to regain their lives.

But detoxing - withdrawing - from OxyContin, or any seriously addictive drug, is rarely successful by simply stopping 'cold turkey', and can even be dangerous. Withdrawal symptoms during a cold-turkey OxyContin detox show us that "just saying no" does not immediately reset the brain back to its pre-dependence condition. Instead, OxyContin detox can cause horrible symptoms that continue for days, including, but not limited to:

Abdominal pain

Agitation

Diarrhea

Dilated pupils

Goose bumps

Nausea

Runny nose

Sweating

Vomiting

Almost everyone abandons a cold-turkey OxyContin detox, and returns to the drug. Many people even abandon certified OxyContin "one-size-fits-all" detox programs and return to drugs, because these programs don't consider each person's unique health needs.

A personally tailored OxyContin detox that takes into account a patient's unique DNA and metabolism, and their current health situation, is the only reliably effective approach to detox for any substance dependence. When an OxyContin detox protocol is designed to match all of a patient's specific needs, and the detox is carefully monitored 24/7 by a trained medical staff, most patients experience very little discomfort. And the completion rate is routinely 100 percent.

These days, the media is filled with tragic stories about ordinary people finding themselves trapped in the extraordinary grip of OxyContin addiction. Fortunately, more and more people are discovering that withdrawal from an OxyContin addiction does not have to be a nightmare, and a drug-free life is not an impossible dream.

Rod MacTaggart is a freelance writer that contributes articles on health.

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